Taylor Swift Writes Powerful Open Letter Urging Senator To Support LGBTQ Rights

Taylor Swift is fighting for the Equality Act and motivating her fans to do the same

Taylor Swift singing about teardrops on her guitar is great. Taylor Swift dancing in a blue flapper dress during the Delicate music video is really great. And Taylor Swift fighting hard for LGBTQ rights is really, really, really great. The singer penned a letter to her senator to encourage him to vote for the Equality Act – and she’s encouraging all of her fans to take action alongside her.

The singer took to Instagram to share the deeply thoughtful, important note that she sent to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander. In it, she asked him to vote for the Equality Act, which protects people in the LGBTQ community from discrimination in the workplace, in their homes, and in their schools. The bill passed the House and is now making its way to the Senate.

“Our country’s lack of protection for its own citizens ensures that LGBTQ people must live in fear that their lives could be turned upside down by an employer or landlord who is homophobic or transphobic,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable.”

Swift laid out the facts for Alexander in her letter, noting that 64% of Tennesseans support laws that would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination and the majority of people (81% liberals, 76% moderates, and 55% conservatives) are in favor of nondiscrimination laws. “To vote against this bill would be to vote against the wishes of most Tennesseans and Americans,” she wrote.

She also had some choice words about the current administration. “I personally reject the President’s stance that his administration ‘supports equal treatment of all’ but that the Equality Act ‘in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.’ No,” Swift wrote. “One cannot take the position that one supports a community while condemning it in the next breath as going against ‘conscience’ or ‘parental rights.’”

So, this is terrific and important in and of itself. But then Swift took it a step further, using her enormous platform to encourage others to get in contact with their senators. She promised to look out for those notes, which she asked to be filed under the hashtag #lettertomysenator. The responses have started pouring in and your heart is about to feel all the very good things.

“Votes come from the people,” Swift reminded her fans. “Pressure from massive amounts of people is a major way to push politicians towards positive change.” She also started a petition called “Support the Equality Act” on change.org and nearly 50,000 people have already signed their names.

Here’s to Taylor Swift using her voice and incredible platform to do so much good. Now, off to re-listen to “White Horse” for the one-millionth time in celebration of all this wonderful activism.